CHAPTER XXII.
HOW HOISTING WAS ABOLISHED.
The month of September was close at hand, and Bert would soon begin hissecond year with Dr. Johnston. Mr. Lloyd, though well content with theprogress his son had been making in his studies, thought it would be awise thing to hold out some extra inducement that might incite him tostill greater diligence, and so one evening, while the family weresitting together, he broached the subject:
"Dr. Johnston gives a lot of prizes at the end of the term, doesn't he,Bert?"
"Yes, father, a good many; always books, you know," answered Bert.
"Why didn't you get a prize of some kind last term?" asked Mr. Lloyd,with a smile.
"Oh, I don't know, father. Didn't try hard enough, I suppose," repliedBert, smiling in his turn.
"Well, do you intend to try this term, Bert?"
"Indeed I do; and Frank's going to try, too. My best chance is in thearithmetic, so I'm going to try for that; and he's going in forgrammar."
"Very well, then, Bert, do your best; and if you win a prize I will giveyou what you have wanted so long--a pony."
The expression of Bert's countenance at this quite unexpectedannouncement was a study. His eyes and mouth, the former with surprise,the latter with a smile, opened to their fullest extent, and for amoment he stood motionless. Then, springing across the floor, he leapedinto his father's lap, put both arms around his neck, and burying hishappy face in the brown whiskers, ejaculated, fervently:
"You dear, dear father, you dear, dear father, how I do love you!"
Mr. Lloyd returned the affectionate hug with interest, and then, holdingBert out on his knee, said, in a playful tone:
"Aren't you in too much of a hurry about thanking me, Bert? You haven'twon your pony yet, you know."
"That's all right, father," returned Bert. "I mean to win it, and what'smore, I'm going to."
It need hardly be said that the first item of news Bert had for hisfriend Frank next morning was his father's offer.
"Won't it be splendid to have a pony of my very own!" he exclaimed, hiseyes dancing with delight at the prospect. "Perhaps your father willgive you a pony, too, if you win a prize; hey, Frank?"
Frank shook his head dubiously:
"Not much chance of that, Bert. That's not his way of doing things."
"Oh, well, never mind. You can ride turn about with me on mine, andwe'll have just splendid fun."
As the boys were talking together, little Ernest Linton approached,looking as if he had something on his mind. Getting close to Bert, hetouched him gently on the arm to attract his attention, and, turning avery earnest, appealing face to his, said:
"Bert, I want to ask a favour."
"Hallo, Ernie, what's up?" asked Bert, in his kindest tones.
Ernest then proceeded to tell him that his younger brother, Paul, was tocome to the school in a few days, and that he was a very timid, delicatelittle chap that would be sure to be half frightened out of his life ifthey hoisted him; and what Ernest wanted was that Bert and Frank shouldsee if they could not, in some way or other, save Paul from beinghoisted.
The two boys were filled with the idea at once. It was good enough funto hoist sturdy fellows like themselves, who were none the worse for it;but if Paul were the sort of chap his brother said he was, it would be areal shame to give him such a scare, and they would do their best toprevent its being done. Accordingly, they promised Ernest they wouldprotect his brother if they could, and Ernest felt very much relieved attheir promise.
But how were they going to carry it out? No exceptions had been made asto the hoisting since they had come to Dr. Johnston's, but all new boyswere hoisted with perfect impartiality. They would be powerless bythemselves, that was certain. Their only plan was to persuade a lot ofthe boys to join them, and they did not feel entirely sure about beingable to do this. However, the first thing to be done was to ask TeterJohnston. If they could enlist his sympathies, their task would be agood deal easier. Accordingly, at recess, they made directly for Teter,and laid the whole matter before him. Like themselves, he took hold ofit at once. It was just the sort of thing that would appeal to his big,warm, manly heart, and without hesitation he promised the boys he wouldgive them all the help in his power.
The next step was to secure recruits for their party. In this Teterhelped them greatly, and Frank was very active too, because big RodGraham, whom he disliked none the less, though Bert had thrashed him sosoundly, always headed the hoisting party, and Frank looked forward withkeen delight to balking this tormenting bully by means of theanti-hoisting party they were now organising.
Of course, the movement could not be kept a secret. It soon leaked out,and then Rod Graham and Dick Wilding--who, by the way, since the stolenmoney episode, had been as cool in his relations with Bert as he hadpreviously been cordial, evidently resenting very much Bert'swithdrawal from his companionship--these two, with their associates,began to organise in their turn, so that it was not long before theschool was divided into two parties, both of which were looking forwardeagerly to the event which should decide which would have their own way.
On the Monday following the opening of the school Ernest Linton broughthis brother with him, a slight, pale, delicate little fellow, not morethan eight years old, who clung close to his brother's side, and lookedabout with a frightened air that was sufficient in itself to arouseone's sympathies. Bert and Frank had known him before, but Teter hadnever seen him, and his kind heart prompted him to go up and slap thelittle fellow kindly on the back, saying:
"So you're Linton's brother Paul, eh? Cheer up, little chap; we'll seethey're not too hard upon you."
Paul's pale face brightened, and looking up with a grateful glance, hesaid, softly:
"Thank you, sir."
Teter laughed at being "sirred," and went off, feeling quite pleasedwith himself.
According to the custom of the school, Paul would be hoisted at themid-day recess of the following day, and the boys looked forward eagerlyto the struggle for which they had been preparing. During the morningtheir thoughts clearly were not upon the lessons, and so many mistakeswere made that the shrewd doctor suspected there must be somethingbrewing, but preferred to let it reveal itself rather than to interfereby premature questions. He was a profound student of human nature, andespecially of boy nature. He knew his boys as thoroughly as an Easternshepherd ever knew his sheep. They were like open books before him, andin this perhaps more than in anything else lay the secret of his raresuccess as a teacher.
When the eagerly expected recess came, all the boys, with the exceptionof a small group, poured out tumultuously into the street, and rangedthemselves in two bands in close proximity to the door. The group thatremained consisted of the two Lintons, Bert, Frank, and Teter, thelatter three constituting a sort of body-guard for poor timorous littlePaul, who shrank in terror from the ordeal, the nature of which in truthhe did not fully understand. Having consulted together for a minute ortwo, the body-guard then moved out through the door, taking care to keepPaul in the middle. As they emerged into the street, a kind of hum ofsuppressed excitement rose from the crowd awaiting them, followedimmediately by cries of "Hoist him! hoist him!" uttered first by Grahamand Wilding, and quickly taken up by their supporters.
Pale with fright, Paul cowered close to Teter, while Bert and Frankstood in front of him, and their supporters quickly encircled them. Thencame the struggle. Graham and Wilding and their party bore down uponPaul's defenders, and sought to break their way through them to reachtheir intended victim. Of course, no blows were struck. The boys allknew better than to do that; but pushing, hauling, wrestling, very muchafter the fashion of football players in a maul, the one party strove toseize Paul, who indeed offered no more resistance than an ordinaryfootball, and the other to prevent his being carried off. For someminutes the issue was uncertain, although the hoisting partyconsiderably outnumbered the anti-hoisting party. More than once didGraham and Wilding force their way into the centre of Paul's def
enders,and almost have him in their grasp, only to be thrust away again by thefaithful trio that stood about him like the three of whom Macaulay'sringing ballad tells:
"How well Horatius kept the bridge, In the brave days of old."
Shouting, struggling, swaying to and fro, the contest went on, much tothe amusement of a crowd of spectators, among which the tall,blue-coated form of a policeman loomed up prominently, although hedeigned not to interfere. At length the weight of superior numbers beganto tell, and despite all their efforts the anti-hoisting party wereborne slowly but surely toward the fence, upon which some of the boyshad already taken their positions, ready to have Paul handed up to them.The case was looking desperate, and Teter, heated and wearied with hisexertions, had just said, in his deepest tones, to Bert and Frank,"Come, boys, all together, try it once more," when suddenly a silencefell upon the noisy mob, and their arms, a moment before locked in tensestruggling, fell limply to their sides; for there, standing between themand the fence, his keen, dark face lighted with a curious smile, andholding his hand above his head by way of a shield from the hot sun,stood Dr. Johnston!
A genuine ghost at midnight could hardly have startled the boys more.Absorbed in their struggle, they had not seen the doctor until they werefairly upon him. For aught they knew he had been a spectator of theproceedings from the outset. What would he think of them? Rod Graham andDick Wilding, slaves to a guilty conscience, slunk into the rear oftheir party, while Bert, and Frank, and Teter, glad of the unexpectedrelief, wiped their brows and arranged their disordered clothing, asthey awaited the doctor's utterance. It soon came.
"I desire an explanation of this unseemly disturbance. The school willfollow me immediately into the schoolroom," said he, somewhat sternly;and turning upon his heel went back to his desk, the boys following at arespectful distance.
When all had been seated, and the room was quiet, Dr. Johnston asked:
"Will the leaders in the proceedings outside come to my desk?"
There was a moment's pause, and then Teter rose from his seat, Bertimmediately imitating him, and the two walked slowly down to the openspace before the master's desk.
Having waited a minute, and no one else appearing, the doctor leanedforward and said to his nephew:
"You and Lloyd were on the same side, were you not?"
"Yes, sir," replied Teter.
"Well, who were the leaders of the other side? I wish to know."
"Graham and Wilding, sir," answered Teter.
"Graham and Wilding, come forward," called the doctor, sternly; and thetwo boys, looking very conscious and shamefaced, reluctantly left theirseats and took their places before the throne.
"Now, then, I wish to be informed of the whole matter," said the doctor.
Bert looked at Teter, and Teter looked at Bert.
"You tell him," he whispered; "you know most about it."
Thereupon, with the utmost frankness, Bert proceeded to tell his story,beginning at his first talk with Ernest Linton.
The doctor listened intently, his inscrutable face revealing nothing asto how the story impressed him. When Bert had finished, he turned toGraham and Wilding, and asked them:
"Is Lloyd's statement correct? or have you anything to add?"
They hung their heads, and were silent.
The doctor looked very hard at them for a moment, during which thesilence was so intense that the fall of a pin upon the floor would havebeen heard; then, turning to the school, he spoke as follows:
"The events that have just transpired have hastened a decision that hasbeen forming in my mind for some time past. I was not unaware of thispractice of which Lloyd has just spoken, but deemed it well not tointerfere until my interference should seem necessary. That time, in myjudgment, has arrived, and I have determined that there shall be no moreof this hoisting. Be it, therefore, distinctly understood by the pupilsof this school, that any future attempts at the hoisting of new boyswill incur punishment, and possibly even expulsion from the school. Youwill now resume work."
A subdued murmur of applause arose from the anti-hoisting party at theconclusion of the doctor's announcement. They had more than carriedtheir point; for, intending only to protect Paul Linton, they hadobtained the complete abolition of the practice. Bert was greatlyelated, and could talk of nothing else when he got home. Father, andmother, and sister, had to listen to the fullest details of the struggleand its surprising issue, and Bert fairly outdid himself in the vigourand minuteness of his description. When the fountain of his eloquence atlast ran dry, Mr. Lloyd had a chance to say, with one of his expressivesmiles:
"And so my boy has come out as a reformer. Well, Bert, dear, you havetaken the first step in the most thankless and trying of all careers,and yet I would not discourage you for the world. I would a thousandtimes rather have you a reformer than an opposer of reforms. I wonderwhat work God has in store for you."
Bert Lloyd's Boyhood: A Story from Nova Scotia Page 23